Delos, the Floating Island Birthplace of
Apollo and Artemis ~and the Oracles
of the Twin Lights
Floating Island with Raspberry Coulis
Xanthos Mosaic
"Phoebe went to the much longed-for bed of Koios, and she, a goddess loved by a god, conceived and gave birth to dark-robed Leto, ever sweet, gentle to men and to gods who never die, sweet from the beginning, gentlest of all the Olympians."
The Theogony of Hesiod
Leto, Titaness and early love of Zeus, was probably a much more popular mother goddess than we know today. In Lycia, the national triad of Leto-Apollo-Artemis may date to the 7th Century B.C.
Early myths of Leto, in her Roman persona as Latona, link her to a nineteen year Solar eclipse cycle [Metonic Cycle] and ancient wisdom religion. In each cycle there are 235 lunations. Mystical numbers refer to 19 as the Luna Flame. It is sacred to the Moon. This sounds like a contradiction, but it is not; the Luna Flame is the force of the Sun which has given its light to the Moon. Tarot Trump XIX The Sun refers to the spiritual marriage of Sol and Luna and the light of Wisdom.Versions of Leto's story differ to a greater or lesser degree depending on the reference source. Popular accounts generally agree on these details.
First, the Island of Delos was submerged [chained under the waves until it was freed by Zeus] prior to Leto's labor. In recognition of Delos carrying Leto during her trials, Zeus made the island immovable and decreed that no one would be allowed to be born or die there. The island was surrounded by swans.
Second, Leto had been an earlier love of Zeus, and yet still felt Hera's anger more than any other immortal or mortal. Hera was responsible for withholding a place for Leto to deliver her brilliant children and denied the assistance she needed.
Third, many sources agree that Artemis was delivered after nine days and nights of labor and helped her mother with the delivery of her twin brother Apollo.
Island of Delos ~ Temple of Leto
At Delphi are Chryselephantine statues of Apollo, Artemis, and LetoIn Lycia~Leto's sanctuary, called Letoon and those of Apollo and Artemis, were the national temples. (Xanthos valley)
Related: Asteria ortyx, "quail"
Asteria was Titaness daughter of Coeus and Phoebe, sister of Leto. Asteria married Perses and became mother of Hecate.
Not long after her brother was imprisoned in Tartarus, Zeus fell in love with her, and chased her, but she escaped him when she threw herself off the cliff and was turned into a quail.
Some say she was transformed into the island of Delos, originally named after her, Asteria or Ortygia (ortyx means "quail".) When her sister became pregnant by Zeus, Leto was persecuted by Hera. Asteria offered her sister a safe haven, to give birth to the twins, Apollo and Artemis.
Read:
Fourth-Century Styles in Greek Sculpture, by Brunilde Sismondo Ridgway, Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1997
Link:
In antiquity, clothing was usually homemade and the same piece of homespun fabric could serve as a garment, shroud, or blanket. Greek vase painting and traces of paint on ancient sculptures indicate that fabrics were brightly colored and generally decorated with elaborate designs. Clothing for both women and men consisted of two main garments—a tunic (either a peplos or chiton) and a cloak (himation). Click on The Met for full article.
The
food
and wine dictionary gives this description
for
'Floating Island.'
1. A light
dessert of stiffly beaten, sweetened egg white
mounds that have been poached in milk.
These puffs are then floated in a thin
custard sauce.
The dessert is
also known as oeufs à la neige,
"snow eggs."
2. In France,
île flottante ("floating island") is Liqueur-
sprinkled sponge cake spread with
jam, sprinkled
with nuts, topped with whipped cream and
surrounded by a pool of custard.
Floating Island Ingredients
1 Tablespoon butter
2
Tablespoons sugar
1 2/3 cups egg whites at room
temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch of
salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
Fresh raspberry garnish
Custard
Sauce
Raspberry Coulis (see below)
Directions
Preheat
oven 250F
Butter and dust (with sugar)
a 4 to 5 quart baking dish. Beat egg whites at slow until foamy. Beat in
cream of tartar and salt, gradually increasing speed. When the egg whites
form soft peaks, sprinkle in the sugar (decreasing speed if necessary) a
spoonful at a time, until all is added, then beat at high speed until
peaks are stiff. Beat in the vanilla Spoon the meringue into baking dish
until about 3/4 full Place dish in center of oven, bake 35 - 40
minutes or until meringue has reached 2 to 3 inches and a toothpick comes
out clean. Remove from oven and cool. Cover and chill.
When ready,
remove from refrigerator. Separate meringue gently from edge of
baking dish, place a transfer bowl on top and turn both over
quickly, tapping the bottom of the baking dish. Meringue
should be in the center of the bowl and ready for custard sauce and
raspberry garnish. Serve the raspberry coulis on the side. Serves 6 to
8.
Custard Sauce
See
Robert Plant Star Menu
(Add 3 Tablespoons of dark
rum to the recipe
posted for Robert Plant)
Raspberry
Coulis
1 10-oz package frozen
raspberries. Thaw, save syrup.
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon
juice
Puree the raspberries and the
lemon juice and press through a sieve. Chill. Yield 1 cup Serve on
the side.
BACK to Katharine Hepburn
"If you went searching for a
perfectly selfless egotism, a person so ravished with self-confidence that
she had the capacity to illuminate everyone around her, you might well end
up settling upon Katharine Hepburn."
-Verlyn Klinkenborg,
Source: the New York Times
"Of all the actors and actresses who were transformed by the Hollywood dream factory into archetypes, Hepburn was probably the least likely person to strike a deep chord in the American psyche. There was nothing typical about the qualities she exuded, nothing mass produced, nothing common. The voice was a refined screech evoking Bryn Mawr or the more elitist manor houses of that secluded sylvan place that once was Connecticut.
It was no accident that her
most memorable roles in the screwball comedies she adorned were heiresses
and independent working women."
- A
BOSTON GLOBE EDITORIAL on
7/1/2003
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The Zone